Back-to-School Meal Planning Tips

The start of the school year can feel like a whirlwind, and if you’re a teacher, meal planning might be the last thing on your mind. But having a simple, realistic plan for your meals can save you time, money, and energy — so you can focus on what matters most: your students and yourself. Yes, I said 'yourself.' As a former teacher, it was often a challenge for me to take care of me, but I do my best now to remind busy professional women, especially educators, that you matter too!

Here are my top 3 tips to help you ease into back-to-school meal planning without overwhelm:

1. Keep It Simple with a Short Meal Rotation

Pick 3–5 easy dinners that you love and rotate them throughout the week or month. If you like to be organized, use Canva to create a simple schedule for you to stick by. As crazy as it sounds, when you limit choices, it’s easier to shop for and cook without decision fatigue. Think: pasta with sauce, stir-fry with veggies, sheet-pan chicken — meals you can prep quickly or even batch cook. That way, you will likely have leftovers.

2. Plan for Leftovers and Quick Fixes

Leftovers are your best friend. I have had clients in the past who don't like leftovers and I understand that; however, leftovers will save you money, time, and energy..for real! You don't have to do leftovers of the same meal all week. Perhaps, you can prep a meal for Monday and make enough for leftovers for Tuesday's lunch and Tuesday's dinner. On Wednesday, you can switch it up. Then, pack up Wednesday's leftovers for Thursday. Also, keep some staples on hand like frozen veggies, canned beans, or pre-cooked grains to make last-minute meals fast. Stay tuned for a future blog on batch cooking to help you create those last minute meals.

3. Schedule a Weekly Planning Session

Set aside 15–20 minutes on the weekend or your day off to plan your meals and snacks for the upcoming week. Write down your meal ideas, create a grocery list, and prep any ingredients you can ahead of time. This small habit can reduce evening stress big time! As a teacher, it feels like you have to plan everything - what time will you do your clean up song to transition to recess, what time will you have your students line up for lunch, and the list goes on. So I understand the pain of having one more thing to schedule. With that, the key is working on a schedule in small increments.

Meal planning doesn’t have to be complicated or perfect — it just has to work for you. If you want a complete system designed especially for busy teachers and women juggling a million things, check out my website to schedule a consultation to get help one on one.

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